


Background noise

by a_fan_de



Category: Music RPF, Queen (Band)
Genre: RPF, Short One Shot, hearing loss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-30
Updated: 2019-03-30
Packaged: 2019-12-26 21:38:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18290744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/a_fan_de/pseuds/a_fan_de
Summary: Roger has been drumming for Queen for over 40 years, so it's not surprising that it's taken a toll on his ears.





	Background noise

**Author's Note:**

> This is obviously a work of fiction, as I know neither Roger, Sarina or any of the other people in this. It's at least inspired by true events though, Roger has been relying on hearing aids since at least 2011, he's wearing very discreet in-ear ones.

„Darling, can you please turn the volume down?“ Sarina asked. „It's too loud.“

Roger frowned. Sure, he had turned it up a bit when the news came on, but not by that much.

 

 ******************************

 

„Dad?“ No response. „Dad?“ Rufus called a little louder towards the garage, where his father was tinkering with his car.

The older man looked up. „What's up?“

„Sarina wants to know what time you want to have dinner?“

„Half past seven?“

„Alright. Also, did you find the demo I left you yesterday?“

„Yes, definitely half past seven.“

Rufus rolled his eyes and went back into the house.

 

*************************************

 

„Roger, you really should go and see your doctor.“

„What? I'm fine.“

„You refused to replace the downstairs TV, even though the high-pitched beeping noise it makes is driving everyone in this house mad.“

„What beeping?“

„My point exactly! And putting up with your grumpy attitude at family dinners...“

„Well, you just need to stop mumbling and talk clearly.“

„Roger, everyone IS talking clearly. It's your ears.“

 

Roger leaned back into his pillow and closed his eyes. It wasn't as though he hadn't noticed that his hearing lacked somewhat to be desired lately. And it honestly wasn't surprising, considering what he had been doing for a living for the last 40 or so years. Still, it just made him feel so old.

Also, if he did have to get hearing aids, as he – and probably everyone in his family – suspected, that would kind of cramp his style. Maybe he could grow out his hair again to cover them? No, that would look ridiculous, he wasn't Brian, his own long-haired days were over.

„Roger...“

He sighed. „I'll think about it.“

 

**********************************+

 

He realized he couldn't put it off any longer when Brian and Anita came round the next time. Dinner had been a bit of a struggle, as always these days. Logically Roger knew that he should get help, but he was nothing if not stubborn, so as always he made it through the evening by trying to keep up with the conversation through a mixture of guesswork and actual lip-reading. He was quite proud of himself really, it wasn't an easy skill to try and master. Well, not that he mastered it, but it helped. A bit. Enough that he would not need hearing aids, thank you very much.

Brian had brought a recording they had worked on a few months back, with Roger providing some of his trademark falsetto backing vocals, and the men went into Roger's private studio to listen to the completed thing.

„Wait, did you edit my bits out?“ Roger looked at his friend disbelievingly.

„What do you mean, edit them out? Here, they're right there“, Brian stopped the tape and played the chorus back again. „There, exactly what you recorded for me.“

„You're kidding me.“

„What are you on about? I didn't change a thing. Mixed it a bit differently, but it's all there. …. Rog, are you alright?“ he asked worriedly.

Roger had gone a bit pale all of a sudden. He dragged his hand over his mouth. „I... never thought it was this bad. I mean, it was all just a bit quieter, you know, I missed bits and pieces. But I was alright when we recorded this. Now... Brian, I can't hear myself on that tape. I hear you guitar, the backing vocals just go all wooferly, I can't properly tell what it's sounding like at all.“

„Rog...“

„Shit. I think I need to make an appointment.“

 

**************************

 

He had managed to get an appointment quite quickly, and was now sitting in the doctor's office, waiting for the ENT specialist to arrive.

 

„Mr. Taylor?“ Roger nodded. „Good morning. My name's Doctor Forbes. Your GP referred you to us over the hearing loss you've been experiencing?“

„Yes.“

„Okay, so before we start the actual exam, let me ask you some questions. First, when did you notice the hearing loss?“

„Must have been going on for a while, at least a few months, I think. Only recently noticed how bad it had really gotten. So.. here I am.“

„Okay, so you're at an age where hearing loss is starting to become more likely, but there can still be contributing factors from the outside.“

Roger huffed. Doctor Forbes continued, „Now, are you or were you ever, as far as you can remember, subjected to loud noises on a regular basis?“

Roger froze, and stared at the doctor. „You are joking, right?“

 

**Author's Note:**

> I did not make up the word 'wooferly', thank you very much, that's Roger's choice of word in an interview for what I'm assuming means sounds blending into each other/missing out some frequencies etc.  
> Missing out high pitched sounds (like a broken TV beeping, which was not Roger's problem, but my dad's, and it was driving our whole family mental for nearly a year, before he could be convinced to buy a new one), is often one of the first things people notice about hearing loss.


End file.
